Prediction of Martensite Start Temperature for Lightweight Fe-Mn-Al-C Steels

A tailor-made thermodynamic database of the Fe-Mn-Al-C system was developed using the CALPHAD approach. The database enables predicting phase equilibria and thereby assessing the resulting microstructures of Fe-Mn-Al-C alloys. Available information on the martensite start (M_s) temperature was reviewed. By employing the M_s property model in the Thermo-Calc software together with the new thermodynamic database and experimental M_s temperatures, a set of model parameters for the Fe-Mn-Al-C system in the M_s model was optimised. Employing the newly evaluated parameters, the calculated M_s temperatures of the alloys in the Fe-Mn-Al-C system were compared with the available measured M_s temperatures. Predictions of M_s temperatures were performed for the alloys, Fe-10, 15 and 20 wt.% Mn-xAl-yC. The predictability of the M_s model can be further validated when new experimental M_s temperatures of the Fe-Mn-Al-C system are available.     

Experimental Investigation of the Binary Mn-Sb Phase Diagram

The binary manganese-antimony (Mn-Sb) phase diagram was reinvestigated in the whole composition range using powder-XRD, DTA and SEM-EDX. The phase boundaries and melting temperatures of the ferromagnetic phases MnSb and Mn₂Sb were modified by taking into account the new experimental data. Most of the reaction temperatures could be verified within a range of ±10 °C. Nevertheless, a few temperatures had to be revised, such as the eutectic reaction L → β-Mn + Mn ₂ Sb at 893 °C and the eutectoid reaction β-Mn → α-Mn + Mn ₂ Sb at 718 °C. The previously reported peritectic melting behavior of MnSb could be confirmed. The variation of the lattice parameters of the NiAs-(B8 ₁ ) type MnSb phase with composition was determined. A revised version of the of the Mn-Sb phase diagram is presented.     

Description of methane adsorption on microporous carbon adsorbents on the range of supercritical temperatures on the basis of the Dubinin–Astakhov equation

Temperature dependences of parameters n and E are calculated according to the adsorption equation of Dubinin–Astakhov for methane adsorption on eight active carbons in the range of supercritical temperatures of 170–340 K and pressures of 0–20 MPa. At temperatures above ~240 K, characteristic adsorption energy E of methane grows linearly at an increase in temperature. The temperature coefficients of characteristic energy of methane adsorption on active carbon tend to decrease at an increase in standard characteristic adsorption energy E₀. The average value of parameter <n> for the studied adsorbents tends to grow at an increase in standard characteristic adsorption energy E₀.     

Effect of thermocycling on the temperatures of phase transformations,structure, and properties of the equiatomic alloy Ti<Subscript>50.0</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>50.0</Subscript>

This article is devoted to studying the influence of thermocycling in the range of temperatures of the thermoelastic martensitic transformation B2–B19' on the microstructure, the temperatures of the martensitic transformations, and the mechanical properties of the equiatomic alloy Ti₅₀Ni₅₀ in the coarse-grained (CG) and ultrafine-grained (UFG) states, the latter obtained by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP). One hundred cycles of thermocycling and the related increase in the dislocation density in the CG alloy led to a decrease in the temperatures of martensitic transformations. In the UFG alloy, the temperatures of the forward transformation (M_s, M_f) decrease by 2–3 K, and the temperatures of the reverse transformation (A_s, A_f) increase by 6 K. The ultimate strength remains almost unaltered upon the thermocycling, but the yield stress increases substantially from 430 to 550 MPa and from 935 to 1120 MPa for the CG and UFG states, respectively.     

Properties of the Ti<Subscript>40</Subscript>Zr<Subscript>10</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>36</Subscript>Pd<Subscript>14</Subscript> BMG Modified by Sn and Nb Additions

The results of investigation of the influence of additions of 2 and 3 at.% of Sn and simultaneously of Sn and 3 at.% Nb on microstructure and properties of the bulk metallic glasses of composition (Ti₄₀Cu_36?x Zr₁₀Pd₁₄Sn _x )_100?y Nb _y are reported. It was found that the additions of Sn increased the temperatures of glass transition (T _g), primary crystallization (T _x ), melting, and liquidus as well as supercooled liquid range (ΔT) and glass forming ability (GFA). The nanohardness and elastic modulus decreased in alloys with 2 and 3 at.% Sn additions, revealing similar values. The 3 at.% Nb addition to the Sn-containing amorphous phase decreased as well all the T _g, T _x , T _L, and T _m temperatures as ΔT and GFA; however, relatively larger values of this parameters in alloys containing larger Sn content were preserved. In difference to the previously published results, in the case of the amorphous alloys containing small Nb and Sn additions, a noticeable amount of the quenched-in crystalline phases was not confirmed, at least of the micrometric sizes. In the case of the alloys containing Sn or both Sn and Nb, two slightly different amorphous phase compositions were detected, suggesting separation in the liquid phase. Phase composition of the alloys determined after amorphous phase crystallization was similar for all compositions. The phases Cu₈Zr_3, CuTiZr, and Pd₃Zr were mainly identified in the proportions dependent on the alloy compositions.     

Changes in the temperatures of phase transformations of the Ni<Subscript>2</Subscript>MnGa alloy upon substitution of nickel for manganese

Temperatures of phase transformations of a number of Ni₂MnGa-based alloys (four compositions), which are characterized by substitution of nickel for manganese at an unchanged gallium content (25 at %), have been determined. As the nickel concentration increases with respect to the stoichiometric composition (or the electron concentration e/a increases), the liquidus (T _liq), solidus (T _sol), and martensitic transformation (T _mart) temperatures increase, whereas the magnetic transformation temperature (T _C) decreases slightly.     

Magnetotransport of Cu<Subscript>2</Subscript>ZnSnS<Subscript>4</Subscript> single crystals in two regimes of variable–range hopping conduction

The resistivity, ρ(T), and the magnetoresistance (MR) of Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) single crystals are investigated at temperatures T = 2–300 K in pulsed magnetic fields of B up to 20 T. The Mott variable–range hopping (VRH) conductivity over localized states of the defect acceptor band is observed between T ~ 50–150 K. The Shklovskii–Efros (SE) VRH conduction over the states of the Coulomb gap is found below T ~ 3–4 K. The positive MR is observed at all temperatures and magnetic fields, its value decreasing with T. In the Mott VRH conduction region, MR follows the law ln ρ(B) ∝ B ² up to the highest applied fields. The joint analysis of the resistivity and MR data in this region has yielded values of the localization radius as well as a set of important microscopic parameters, including the mobility threshold in the acceptor band, the values of the density of localized states near the Fermi level and the critical concentration of the metal–insulator transition. In the SE region, the MR law above is observed only in much smaller fields, transformed into those of lnρ(B) ∝ B ^2/3 or ∝ B ^3/4 when B increases. Such transformation, accompanied by a strong increase of the localization radius, give evidence for an important role of scattering and interference phenomena in the VRH conduction at low temperatures.     

Magnetic flux pinning in the Bi2212 composite materials

Sr₂CaMO₆ (M = Mo, W) and SrAO₃ (A = Zr, Hf) phases which are chemically compatible with Bi2212 were investigated as pinning additives. The superconducting materials were obtained by the partialmelt-crystallization method. It was found that, at low temperatures, the critical-current densities J _c in the composites did not significantly differ from those in the reference samples. The exception was the W-containing composite, which showed an increased width of the hysteresis loop. At elevated temperatures, the pinning characteristics for most of the composites were better than for the reference samples. The pinning parameters at high temperatures were enhanced when the content of nonsuperconducting particles was significantly increased providing that the superconductor-matrix properties were not changed during the modification.     

Investigation of Fe content in Cu–Al–Ni Shape Memory Alloys

Polycrystalline Cu–Al–Ni–Fe-based shape memory alloys with different chemical composition were produced in an arc-melting furnace under an argon atmosphere. Homogenized and aged specimens were prepared for multiple analyses. The temperatures of reversible martensitic transformations, namely A_s, A_f, M_s, M_f, A_max and ΔH enthalpy values were determined by a DSC device. The phase transition analysis from the room temperature to 850°C was undertaken by DTA. To characterize the lattice structure, an XRD analysis was conducted, the results of which were confirmed by microstructure images obtained from optical microscope observations.     

Creep correlations of metals at elevated temperatures

Creep data for pure metals at temperatures above those at which rapid recovery occurs (above about 0.45 the melting temperature) are correctable by means of the equations ? = f (te^?ΔH/RT, σ) and σ = f (?&#x0307 _s e^ΔH/RT). These correlations were applied successfully to data for aluminum, iron, nickel, copper, zinc, platinum, gold, and lead as well as for simple alloys. For a given metal, ΔH is a constant about equal to the activation energy for self-diffusion.     

Phase Equilibria in the Sb<Subscript>2</Subscript>Te<Subscript>3</Subscript>–InSb System

The phase diagram of the (Sb₂Te₃)_100?x –InSb _x system was determined based on x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, differential thermal analysis (DTA), and microhardness and density measurements. An intermediate compound with composition Sb₂Te₃·2InSb was formed as a result of syntectic reaction, melting incongruently at 553 °C. This compound has tetragonal lattice with unit cell parameters of a = 4.3937 Å, b = 4.2035 Å, c = 3.5433 Å, α = 93.354°, and β = γ = 90°. Sb₂Te₃·(2 + δ)InSb (?1 ≤ δ ≤ +1) and (Sb₂Te₃)_100?x (InSb) _x (90 ≤ x ≤ 100) solid solutions exist in the investigated system, based on the intermediate compound Sb₂Te₃·2InSb and on InSb, respectively. Also, two invariant equilibria exist in the system, with eutectic point coordinates at compositions of x = 60 and x ≈ 85 mol% InSb and eutectic temperatures of T _E = 541 and T _E ≈ 501 °C, respectively.     

Size dependence of the melting temperature of metallic nanoclusters from the viewpoint of the thermodynamic theory of similarity

The generalized Thomson formula T_m = T_m^(∞)(1-δ)R for the melting point of small objects T_m has been analyzed from the viewpoint of the thermodynamic theory of similarity, where R is the radius of the particle and T_m^(∞) is the melting point of the corresponding large crystal. According to this formula, the parameter δ corresponds to the value of the radius of the T_m(R^-1) particle obtained by the linear extrapolation of the dependence to the melting point of the particle equal to 0 K. It has been shown that δ = αδ₀, where α is the factor of the asphericity of the particle (shape factor). In turn, the redefined characteristic length δ₀ is expressed through the interphase tension σ_sl at the boundary of the crystal with its own melt, the specific volume of the solid phase v_s and the macroscopic value of the heat of fusion λ_∞:δ₀ = 2σ_slv_s/λ_∞. If we go from the reduced radius of the particle R/δ to the redefined reduced radius R/r₁ or R/d, where r₁ is the radius of the first coordination shell and d ≈r₁ is the effective atomic diameter, then the simplex δ/r₁ or δ/d will play the role of the characteristic criterion of thermodynamic similarity. At a given value of α, this role will be played by the simplex Estimates of the parameters δ₀ and δ₀/d have been carried out for ten metals with different lattice types. It has been shown that the values of the characteristic length δ₀ are close to 1 nm and that the simplex δ₀/d is close to unity. In turn, the calculated values of the parameter δ agree on the order of magnitude with existing experimental data.     

Correlation between the Hall Resistance and Magnetoresistance in the Mixed State of an Nd<Subscript>2 − <Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ce<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>CuO<Subscript>4 + δ</Subscript> Electronic Superconductor

The Hall resistance and the magnetoresistance in the mixed state of the Nd_{2 ? x}Ce _x CuO_{4 + δ} quasi-two-dimensional system near the antiferromagnetic-superconductor (AF-SC) phase transition have been measured at doping levels x = 0.14 and 0.15, and a correlation has been established. This correlation can be analyzed using the following power relationship: ρ _xy (B) ~ [ρ _xx (B)]^β. It was found that index β varied from 0.94 ± 0.03 in the region of AF and SC coexistence (x = 0.14) to 0.6 ± 0.1 in the SC region with the maximum critical temperature (x = 0.15) at low temperatures and weak magnetic fields. This reduction suggests that the symmetry of carrier pairing changes at the boundary of the transition from the phase of antiferromagnetic ordering and spin density waves to the superconducting phase in the presence of antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations.     

Inverse magnetocaloric effect in the uniaxial paramagnet with non-Kramers ions

It has been shown that, in a uniaxial paramagnet with non-Kramers ions with a spin of S = 1 and single-ion anisotropy of the easy-plane type (DS _Z ² ), there is a low-field (μ₀ H ≤ D) and low-temperature (k _B T < 0.68D) region in which the isothermal magnetization along the hard direction H||OZ increases the magnetic entropy by ΔS _M (T, ΔH = H _f - H _i > 0) > 0 and the adiabatic magnetization along the same direction reduces the sample temperature by ΔT _ad(T, ΔH > 0) < 0 (inverse magnetocaloric effect (MCE)). The main features of the inverse MCE in uniaxial paramagnets with large spins (S = 2, 3, …) of the non-Kramers ions have been discussed.     

Pseudo-gap and the nonlinearity of the magnetization of textured polycrystals of YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>7 − <Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> above the temperature of transition into the superconducting state

Temperature dependences of the third and other higher harmonics of the magnetization of textured polycrystalline samples of YBa₂Cu₃O_{7 ? x} have been studied in the temperature range of 77–120 K. It has been revealed that the nonlinearity of magnetization of YBa₂Cu₃O_{7 ? x} is observed up to temperatures that considerably exceed the temperature of transition into the superconducting state. The observed nonlinearity of magnetization of YBa₂Cu₃O_{7 ? x} is ascribed to the appearance of a pseudogap state at T ～ 102 K in this compound. A method of determining the temperature of the appearance of the pseudogap T * in the high-T _c compounds is suggested, which is based on the measurement of magnetization harmonics.     

The efficiency of bridges in a crack

Bridges are cross connections in a crack that contract its faces behind the crack tip. They appear because of the inhomogeneity of the material or differences in the kinematics of fracture. We obtained a general solution to the nonlinear singular integral equation that relates the crack opening h(x) to the stress caused by bridges p(x) and determined the stress-intensity factor F(B) (degree of unloading of the crack tip due to the presence of bridges) depending on the dimensionless stiffness of bridges B. As the measure of the efficiency of bridges, we suggest the ratio of the stress for crack start in a matrix without bridges σ_m to that in the presence of bridges σ_∞. When bridges with a strength σ_u occupy a fraction f of the fracture area, their efficiency Y(ζ, B) depends on the degree of reinforcement ζ = fσ_u/σ_m and on their stiffness B. The Y(ζ, B) dependences have been obtained in an explicit form for the limiting cases of brittle and fully ductile bridges.     

Dynamic recrystallization behavior and constitutive modeling of as-cast 30Cr2Ni4MoV steel based on flow curves

The compression deformation of 30Cr2Ni4MoV steel at different temperatures and strain rates is carried out on Gleeble 1500 thermal mechanical simulation tester. Based on the experimental flow curves, the strain hardening rate curves (θ = dσ/dε versus σ) are derived, from which the characteristic stresses and strains are identified. Meanwhile, the dependences of the characteristic stresses and strains on Zener-Hollomon parameter are determined and the results show that the value of the critical stress of dynamic recrystallization is close to the value of the steady stress. With the aid of the experimental flow curves, the Avrami equation is employed to describe the kinetics of dynamic recrystallization. The time exponent (n) is expressed as a power law function of Zener-Hollomon parameter and the Avrami constant (k) is determined as a function of half of the time for the complete dynamic recrystallization (t ₅₀). Furthermore, a constitutive model is presented based on the rule of mixtures when the dynamic recrystallization occurs. Validation of the constitutive model is implemented and the simulated results agree well with the experimental results.     

Embrittlement and conditions of the optimization of magnetic properties in the amorphous alloy Co<Subscript>69</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>3.7</Subscript>Cr<Subscript>3.8</Subscript>Si<Subscript>12.5</Subscript>B<Subscript>11</Subscript> in the absence of a viscous–brittle transition

The influence of the holding time upon annealing on the temperature of the viscous–brittle transition (temperature of embrittlement) T_f in a cobalt-based amorphous alloy of the composition Co₆₉Fe_3.7Cr_3.8Si_12.5B₁₁ with a very low saturation magnetostriction λ_s (<10^–7) has been studied. It has been established that the dependence of the embrittlement temperature T_f on the of time of holding t_a can be described by an Arrhenius equation and that the embrittlement at the annealing temperatures above and below 300°C is described by different kinetic parameters. In the alloy under study, irrespective of the holding time, embrittlement occurs in a very narrow range of annealing temperatures, which does not exceed 5 K. Based on the experimental data on the evolution of the hysteresis magnetic properties upon the isochronous annealings and upon the isothermal holding, the regime of heat treatment that ensures a very high (about 50000) magnitude of the permeability µ₅ (H = 5 mOe, f = 1 kHz) without the transition of the alloy into a brittle state has been determined.     

Hydrogen in the Ti<Subscript>3</Subscript>Al intermetallic compound: Study by the NMR method

The times of nuclear spin–lattice relaxation have been measured and the spectra of NMR for ¹H and ²⁷Al in Ti₃AlH _x hydrogenated intermetallic compounds with hydrogen concentrations of х = 0, 0.31, 0.51, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.32 in a wide range of temperatures (10–500 K) and resonance frequencies (8.2–90 MHz) have been recorded. The analysis of low-temperature relaxation data has shown that the addition of hydrogen with a concentration of х ≥ 2 leads to a significant change in the density of electron states at the Fermi level. It has been found that the hydrogen mobility in Ti₃AlH _x strongly depends on its concentration. For solid solutions of hydrogen in Ti₃Al with х < 1, the mobility of hydrogen atoms on the scale of frequencies of NMR in the investigated temperature range has not been detected. In Ti₃AlH _x compounds with х ≥ 2, the fast diffusion of hydrogen is observed, which can be related to changes in the structure of these compounds.